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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115727">Line One</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odae/pseuds/Odae'>Odae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Kid Fic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, kind of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:29:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115727</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odae/pseuds/Odae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sokka receives a call at work. And learns something he probably shouldn't have.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>585</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Line One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I should be packing for school but instead I'm procrastinating and posting this drabble I ended up liking from prompt #33 of the <a href="https://koalaotterodae.tumblr.com/post/627351856589471744/drabble-challenge-1-150">drabble challenge</a>: "Call on line 1." </p><p>so here have another kid fic (how I ever get anything else done I will never know)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The phone on Sokka’s desk rings in two short bursts before he looks up from the model on his computer and puts the phone to his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, sir!” his administrative assistant, Sangok, chirps on the phone. “Call on line one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, thanks,” Sokka says, looking back at the model. He uses his stylus to change the angle of its position, and then nods. “Go ahead and put them through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sir,” Sangok says hesitantly, “it sounds like a child?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka puts down his stylus. “Really.” He grins. “What’d they say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They said they were looking for a Mr. Sokka on...‘official engineering business.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka laughs out loud. “Okay, yeah. Put ‘em through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a sigh from Sangok and then a click of the phone. Then, silence, before:  “Hello? Hello? Is this thing working?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka stifles a laugh. “Bumi, is that you? I thought I was supposed to be talking to someone about official engineering business.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grins at the sound of his nephew’s delighted laughter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tricked him pretty good, didn’t I?” Bumi says excitedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mom’s gonna love that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom doesn’t know I’m calling,” Bumi replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I figured,” Sokka says with a grin. “Shouldn’t you be in school right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sick,” Bumi says proudly. “I got to stay home with Dad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And does your dad know you’re calling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope! He thinks I’m asleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Sokka says in understanding. “Well, what’s up, buddy? How can I help you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an important question,” Bumi says seriously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hit me,” Sokka says, leaning back in his chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I come to your wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka sits straight up. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanna come to your wedding. Can I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What wedding? I’m not having a wedding.” Sokka tries to calm the panic in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bumi heaves as world-weary a sigh as an eight-year-old can manage. “I heard Mom and Dad talking about it. They said Zuko was gonna ask you to get married, and then I asked them if I could go to the wedding, and then they got upset because they said I was ‘easy-dropping,’ and no one answered my question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka sits in stunned silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, can I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka breathes in and out. “What was that, buddy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bumi lets out a little groan. “Can I come to your wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka pulls himself out of his daze, clearing his throat. “If I ever have a wedding, you’ll be the first to be invited, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bumi crows excitedly. He stops suddenly, and Sokka can hear another voice from the other end of the phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Dad, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> asleep, but—” Bumi’s voice becomes very rushed and hoarse, his mouth suddenly very close to the phone. “Bye, Uncle Sokka, I’ll see you there, and I love you—no, Da-ad!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The line is quiet for a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” Sokka hears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aang?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aang lets out a huff of breath, something like a low laugh. “Hey, Sokka, sorry about that. I guess I should have known better than to just put Bumi down for his nap and walk away.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Oh, it’s okay,” Sokka says. “He’s a fun distraction.”</span><span><br/>
</span> <span>“Well, I don’t want to keep you from your work anymore than—wait, did Bumi say anything to you?”</span></p><p>
  <span>Sokka leans back in his chair. “Like what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can hear Aang thinking on the end of the phone. “I don’t know, maybe something he shouldn’t have? A secret?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka grins. “Nope. No secret news over here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aang sighs in relief. “Good. Well! I’ll let you get back to work. I’ve gotta put this kid back to bed. You’re still coming with Zuko for dim sum this weekend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have I ever missed dim sum?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aang laughs. “All right. See you later, Sokka.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka sits weakly in his chair after he hangs up, his arms draped over the armrests and his back slouching dramatically. His head is buzzing, mostly with shock, but also something else. Excitement? He’s not surprised, exactly. It’s not like he and Zuko haven’t discussed marriage before. It’s always been on the table. But now it feels very real. And there’s something overwhelming and beautiful blooming in his chest, almost choking him, at the thought of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hardly has time to think about it, though, because soon enough his phone is ringing away again. He scoots forward as little as he has to to scoop up the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Line one again, sir,” Sangok says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Go ahead,” Sokka says weakly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s the click again of the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka sits up straight. “Zuko? Is everything okay?” Zuko hardly ever calls him at work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, is everything okay with you?” Zuko asks. Sokka can hear the slight smile in his voice. “You sound tense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you know me, just work stuff,” Sokka scrambles to say. “What’s going on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko clears his throat. “I just wanted to check what time you’d be home tonight. I was thinking maybe we could have a special dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka’s eyes widen. “A special dinner,” he echoes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could go out, if you want. I kind of wanted to cook for you. But if you have a lot of work, we could—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Sokka says quickly. “I’d love that. A special dinner with you tonight sounds great. At home. Together. I’d have special dinners with you every day if I could. Forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko laughs. “Are you sure you’re okay? You sound kind of weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope! Nothing weird here!” Sokka laughs nervously. He looks up at his computer screen and deletes an event from his calendar. “I’ll be home by seven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds great,” Zuko agrees. “See you at home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka leans back in the chair once his phone is back in its cradle, his eyes a little wet. If he thought his chest felt full before, it now feels like it’s bursting. He vaguely wishes he could call Katara to make sure his palpitations are normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sir?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka looks up to find Sangok standing in the doorway to his office. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Sokka asks. He sits up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you mean to cancel that last meeting with Cabbage Corp?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Sokka says. “Please reschedule it for sometime next week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sangok nods and starts to duck back out of the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, and Sangok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sangok pauses and waits for Sokka’s instruction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please reschedule my morning meetings, too.” Sokka grins. </span>
  <span>“I’ll be coming in late tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you can find the other drabbles I did for this challenge over on <a href="https://koalaotterodae.tumblr.com/post/627472318374068224/i-have-to-pack-for-school-so-i-wont-be-able-to">tumblr</a>! if you're interested :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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